Myths
Henrietta Lacks – Woman Crush Wednesday!
You may think it odd that I’m about to give you a Woman Crush Wednesday episode on someone who’s had a best-selling book written about her, a highway in Maryland named after her, who is the subject of academic conferences and articles, who’s had a high school named in her honor, and has a small…
Read MoreThe Irish Slaves Myth
White supremacy has been rising at an alarming rate in the last few years. The “Irish Slaves” myth has been given new life by these extremists. The famous “Irish: the Forgotten White Slaves” emaill has been unearthed and promoted heavily again during the St. Patrick’s season. It’s an abuse of history, as well as being…
Read MoreHalf American: African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad
Dr. Matthew Delmont explains the complicated and distressing history of African-American participation in World War II at home, and in the war theaters. Discrimination was rampant and inexcusable. African-Americans had to fight for the right to fight in the military. And war industry jobs were just as segregated (sometimes more so) than during peacetime. Episode…
Read MoreThe Nadir of African-American Life, 1865-1930
1865. The Civil War is over. Slavery has been abolished. The country is “reconstructing” itself. This should have meant that the lives of African-Americans improved during this period. But it didn’t. 1865-1930 is often called the “nadir of African-American life.” Not only did they gain very little economic or social benefit from the end of…
Read MoreThe “Free Market” – the Big Myth in Modern America
Professors Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway explain how and why Americans came to believe that the “free market” was not only natural, but also moral, and the highest form of human interaction. Their deep archival research shows how the rise of free market fundamentalism was artificially created by business elites, trade associations, and allies…
Read MoreInsurrection in Modern America: History and Myth
Dr. Kathleen Belew explains the history and myth behind insurrections in recent American history. She dismantles the “lone wolf” myth about political violence, as well as the myth of “it’s not who we are as Americans.” She shows us how insurrectionists have created their ideologies, promoted them through fiction and educational materials, and crafted organizational…
Read MoreRobert Smalls – Man Crush Monday!
Dr. Vernon Burton tells the many amazing stories that make up the life of Robert Smalls, a genuine Civil War hero, and a man who deserves far more fame and glory than he’s received! From piloting a Confederate States ship out of Charleston Harbor and turning it over to the United States Navy, to becoming…
Read MoreFamily Values Feminism: History and Myth
Dr. Natalia Mehlman Petrzela gives us an excellent overview of the debates about how feminism has been discussed in terms of varieties of “family values” in modern American history. From the early suffragists, through the Progressives, through the Second Wave, and up to the 21st Century, Professor Petrzela shows the emphasis that feminists have put…
Read MoreAmerican Exceptionalism as Part of Myth America
Dr. David Bell relates the long and strange history of the concept of “American Exceptionalism,” analyzing various interpretations of the phrase from the Puritan John Winthrop to President (and non-Puritan) Donald Trump. We wrestle with: the true meaning of the phrase; to what extent it has meant American “difference” and/or American “superiority;” and everything in…
Read MoreThe Real Voter Fraud in the United States
Dr. Carol Anderson talks about her “Voter Fraud” chapter in “Myth America: Historians Take On the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past.” Her work is based on the most solid possible research imaginable. And she gives us shocking new information about the extent of voter suppression in many American states. You won’t be to…
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